Italian-American Movie Monica Pleases Critics

According to Rotten Tomatoes the movie is 86% fresh.

“A quietly powerful film.” Los Angeles Times movie critic Tracy Brown describes Andrea Pallaoro’s Monica as a gem. She’s not alone: 86% of American critics on the online reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes say the movie is worth the ticket price. “A quiet, heartfelt, and beautifully nuanced drama that feels unique and universal,” Peter Sobczynski on RogerEbert.com writes. “The performances are compelling,” underscores Teo Bugbee in the New York Times.

Now playing in selected theaters in the US, the Italian-American movie, produced by Gina Resnick, Christina Dow, Eleonora Granata-Jenkinson, and Andrea Pallaoro, was written by Pallaoro and Orlando Tirado. “Together, they delivered an intimate look at the complexity of grief, reconciliation, and family. What is particularly powerful is that the film does not need to overexplain Monica,” writes Tracy Brown in the Los Angeles Times.

The film follows Monica, a transgender woman played by Trace Lysette, returning home after learning that her mother, Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson), is terminally ill. “The film offers glimpses into Monica’s life without having to spell out the details of her past or justify her present to anyone. Instead, Monica has room to choose how much she wants to share about herself with others and navigate the complex emotions of caring for someone who hurt her in the past,” Brown concludes.

Monica won the “Arca Cinema Giovani” prize last September at the Venice Film Festival.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, Rotten Tomatoes